


Love and Light

by tofadeawayagain



Category: Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal Series - J.M. Lee, The Dark Crystal (1982), The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (TV)
Genre: F/M, Friendship/Love, Loss, Traditions, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:42:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26281357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tofadeawayagain/pseuds/tofadeawayagain
Summary: Rian and Deet have a day off from being part of a rebellion - to get married. Friendship, love, living with loss. One-shot.
Relationships: Amri/Naia (Dark Crystal), Deet/Rian (Dark Crystal)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 33





	Love and Light

**Author's Note:**

> Written for StoneGrot Week 2020, Day 2 Prompt: Rian and Deet have a day off from being part of a rebellion.

Deet watches Brea in the mirror. She’s in deep concentration, but also smiling, as she guides Deet’s hair into a complicated braid. She insists that it’s traditional for a sister to braid a bride’s hair on her wedding day. Deet would have been happy to leave her hair in its usual braids – that’s how it’s done back home in Grot, after all. There’s none of this fuss. But all the fuss seems to make Brea happy, and this day is about happiness. Brea will never get to do this for Tavra or Seladon. Deet understands. Besides, she hasn’t seen Brea smile like this in months, so she just sits patiently and enjoys being pampered.

The door opens, and both women look into the mirror to find Naia, Kylan, and Amri stepping across the threshold. Kylan’s hands are full of delicate, pale blue flowers, and Amri is carrying something she thought she’d never see again.

“You found one?” she exclaims, nearly bursting out of her seat to run to him. Brea grabs her shoulder and keeps her firmly in place. “How? Where?”

Amri and the others gather around the vanity, and suddenly Rian’s parents’ room – her room, soon, she supposes – feels very crowded. “There’s a little cave on the far edge of the lake. They aren’t as big as the ones at home,” he says, apologetic, “but they glow just as strong.”

He hands her a smooth, oval stone that’s about the size of her hand. In the light of day, it doesn’t seem like anything special – just a cloudy, grey rock. Amri takes her hand and squeezes hard. “I’m sorry it’s me, doing this. They’d have been so happy…”

She squeezes his hand back, then stands up to throw her arms around her oldest friend. “They would have,” she agrees, fighting back tears as she thinks about her fathers and her brother. “Thank you, Amri. This means everything to me.” They step apart, and Deet takes a long look at the stone before she hands it back to him. “It would mean everything to them, too.”

Amri tucks the stone into his satchel and steps out of the way as Kylan moves forward to place the flowers onto the tabletop. “Does Rian know I’m doing the blessing, then?”

Deet nods, settling back into the chair at Brea’s insistence. “Yes – I explained it to him.”

Naia leans against the vanity table and picks up one of the flowers, rolling the stem between her fingers. “Rian says we’re to put these in your hair,” she drawls with disdain. “It’s a tradition.”

“Ooh, really?” Brea exclaims, plucking the flower from Naia’s hand. “Back home we decorate the braid with jewels, but the flowers will be perfect.”

Deet groans as Brea starts tucking the flower into her elaborate braid. “Are there any other Stonewood traditions I should know about?” She glances up at Kylan, hoping Rian didn’t forget anything else.

He smiles at her as he hands Brea another flower. “Stoneblooms, ceremony, party. That’s it, I think. Be glad we’re not in Sami Thicket. There would be feasts, as well.”

“We breakfast with the couple the next morning,” Brea chimes in. “And there’s rituals for a few days beforehand. Boring rituals.”

Naia rolls her eyes. “I don’t understand all the fuss. Why not just announce that you’ve chosen one another and be done with it? That’s what we do back in Sog.”

Deet catches Amri looking at Naia, his eyes a little too soft, and she smirks. “It’s the same in Grot. Much simpler.”

Brea finally finishes tugging at her hair and grins. “There! It’s perfect.” She turns and glares playfully at the boys. “Out, you two. Time for the finishing touches.”

Kylan gives her a quick hug and then is towed out of the room by Brea. Amri lingers, squeezing Deet the same way she’s seen Gurjin do to Naia – like a loving brother.

“If you need anything at all-”

“I know,” she whispers. “For you, too. Always.”

They pull away. He kisses Deet on the cheek, Naia on the lips, and then makes his way out of the little cottage on the outskirts of Stone-in-the-Wood.

Naia stays with her as Deet changes her clothes, abandoning her usual no-nonsense dress of nurloc rump for the longer, flowing cream dress that Rian gave her. She stands in front of the full-length mirror in the corner and pauses.

She never imagined that she’d be standing here in Rian’s house, wearing his mother’s old wedding clothes. She never thought they’d make it this long.

Brea’s elaborate, five-strand braid starts just behind her ears and continues all around the base of her skull. Under the braid, the rest of her hair is loose and flowing down her back, tickling her wings. The tiny blue stoneblooms paired with the cream dress make her look delicate, and she wonders if Rian will even recognize her.

She’s nervous now in a way she hasn’t been before. Naia stands behind her and catches her eyes in the mirror. “You’re lovely. He’s not going to able to tear his eyes off you tonight, even more than usual.” Naia begins to button up the back of the garment, and Deet does her best to keep her wings out of the way.

“Amri and I are thinking about doing things the simple way, soon,” Naia admits.

Deet lifts her ears in excitement, beaming. “That’s wonderful!”

Naia rarely shows anything but her tough exterior, but for once, she lets her guard down. “We can’t see a reason to waste any more time. Not with things the way they are.”

Deet turns away from the mirror and hugs her friend tight. “I understand,” she tells her. “We need to live, right now. Right where we are.” She doesn’t want to say ‘while we can’. Doesn’t need to.

Naia nods and returns Deet’s embrace, allows it for longer than she normally would. Then, she pulls away, and her walls go back up. “Now, turn ‘round and let me finish doing up your buttons.”

Deet turns obediently, knowing that Naia is the exact opposite of Brea – she hates making a fuss.

“The dress is lovely and all, but I do wish there weren’t so many buttons. It’s going to be a nightmare to get this off.”

Naia’s eyes light up. “Or a lot of fun. The buttons are his job, tonight, after all.”

* * *

The minute she sees him, she’s glad she agreed to all the fuss. He’s so handsome in his father’s old cream tunic, and the torchlight flickering in the early dusk light is perfect. She stands next to him, before all of the people who are left that they love, and she’s happy. Just happy, for the first time in months.

He leans close to her to bring his lips to her forehead, letting his fingers trail along her hair as it blows in the gentle, warm breeze. “You look beautiful,” he whispers, meeting her eyes. She loves his eyes, so blue and honest.

“So do you,” she whispers back, smiling. She hears Gurjin whistle behind them, and her nerves are immediately gone, replaced by laughter. “Shall we get married, then?” she asks him, pulling him towards where Maudra Seethi is waiting to do the honors.

“Yes, we shall,” he breathes, squeezing her hand.

* * *

Most of the resistance camp is in the square, gathered around the crucible to dance in celebration. She and Rian are at the center of it all. Every time he kisses her – and it’s often – the crowd cheers. Every time the other Gelfling think it’s been too long since he kissed her last, they stomp on the ground and raise their glasses in the air until she and Rian get the hint. It’s so very different than the weddings back home, but she loves that they are able to share their joy with everyone.

She hasn’t seen her friends so jubilant since that first battle, when they’d defeated the Skeksis in this very spot. As she’s twirled around, passed from person to person, she can’t help herself. She tries to burn these moments into her memory. The laughter as Gurjin picks Brea up and swings her around. The silliness of Naia and Kylan making a very poor attempt at performing one of the Stonewood’s line dances. More laughter as Amri and Gurjin haul a very intoxicated Hup away from the brew fountain.

She wants to remember these moments for the rest of her life. Wants to remember these people she loves so fiercely in their lightest moments.

Rian catches her looking and brushes some wisps of hair out of her face. “It’s nice, isn’t it? Seeing them relax, I mean.”

She nods and pulls him close, tucking her head onto his shoulder, a quiet moment among all the revelry. “Thank you for talking me into the party.”

He wraps one arm around her waist and rests his cheek against the top of her head. “I think everyone needed it. Us, too.”

She lifts her head and reaches up to pull him in for a kiss. It’s gentle, but it lingers. Vaguely, she notices that it’s the first time the crowd hasn’t cheered for them all evening.

When she pulls away, Rian searches her eyes for a long moment. With a soft kiss to her forehead, he reaches for her hand. “Let’s go home, Deethra.”

* * *

Amri walks with them across the village. Even with the distance, she can still clearly hear the beating drums and trilling flutes, can still hear the boisterous crowd continuing the celebration.

When they stop in front of the house, Amri stands in front of the door and faces the two of them. He reaches into his satchel and pulls out the stone. The three of them watch as it begins to glow, a steady blue light that reminds her of Grot. For a moment, she feels horribly homesick. She misses her caves, misses her family. Misses when everything was simple. Then, she reminds herself that if everything was still simple, she’d have never found Rian.

Amri’s caught by the glow, as well, seemingly unable to look away. They lost the same things, and she thinks he needs the same reminder he gave her earlier that day. She catches Rian’s eye and nods her head at Amri. He squeezes her hand, releases her, and she steps forward toward her friend.

“It’s hard, isn’t it?” she whispers. “To remember?”

He nods. “I’d nearly forgotten how beautiful it was, back home.” He raises his head, and she can tell that he’s just as lost in memories of home as she was moments ago.

She smiles up at him. “If you need anything at all… I’m here.”

He grins, his mischievous nature peeking through the sadness. “I’ve got something in mind,” he says, pointing at the stone.

Deet nods decisively, then steps back into Rian’s waiting arms. “Thank you for being our family, tonight.” She pushes away her sadness and chooses to be grateful, instead. Grateful for what she has, what she’s had, instead of just sad for the loss. “We’ll be honored to be yours, when the time comes.”

Amri lifts the stone up in front of him, and Deet and Rian reach out to place their entwined hands on top of it. She knows the words by heart, but there’s a thrill in her chest as she hears them spoken for her and her husband. “Tonight you’ve promised yourselves to one another, in love and in life. Accept this stone as a reminder that even when surrounded by darkness, there will always be light in your love and your home.” With a smile as bright as the glowing stone, he gives Deet and Rian a final hug.

Deet holds the stone in her hands, watching as Amri walks back through the shadows toward the party and his own love. Then, suddenly, her feet are flying out from under her as Rian picks her up. “What are you doing?” she laughs.

He moves toward the front door of the little cottage and swings it open, carrying her inside. “It’s tradition.”

He sets her down inside, and the stone’s glow brightens ever so slightly. When the door is shut behind him, Deet reaches for his hand and pulls him along to their bedroom. Someone’s been inside since she left it and scattered the remainder of the stonebloom petals around the room.

She blushes a bit at the sight of them on the bed. “And that’s tradition, as well, is it?”

He shrugs. “No, that’s just my attempt at romance. Did it work?” She can tell that he’s teasing her, but there’s something in his eyes that’s vulnerable, too.

Deet sets the glow-stone on the bedside table – it’s tradition – and then walks back to her new husband. “Maybe a bit,” she admits. She slides up onto her tiptoes to kiss him.

They are lost in each other for a long time. When they pull away, he’s got one hand around her waist, and the other buried in her hair, and she’s got her arms around his neck. In the gentle light of the glow-stone, she can see his beautiful eyes clearly, full of love and lust. She knows hers are the same. “I love you, Rian,” she whispers against his lips, thinking about all that they have been through and the long road to get to this day.

“I love you, too,” he whispers back, sliding his hand up her back. She thinks he’s going to pull her close once again, but he pauses, his expression confused. “Deet?” he asks, the same way he once asked her if she was making bombs – long, lingering, and slightly suspicious.

“Yes?” she asks, mimicking his tone. His hand slides down her back again. She thinks about what Naia said earlier and understands, dissolving into a fit of giggles.

“Exactly how many buttons are on this dress?”

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first piece for the Dark Crystal fandom. I am so glad to be here - I've "met" a few of you, and you're all lovely people and talented writers. Thanks for reading this little one-shot.


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